Additional Book Information:

• Copyright: 2021 by Gary Paulsen

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Younger Readers

• Publishing Date: October 5, 2021

• Reading Level (Lexile): 1200L

5 key words to describe this book:

• Humorous

• Adventurous

• Goofy

• Interesting

• Entertaining

ELA CT Common Core Standard that might be met by reading this book:

RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Suggested Delivery:

• Independent Read or Small Group

Electronic Resources: 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQrt7n09ACI 

  • This video plays a captivating excerpt from How to Train Your Dad  that will grab students' attention. 

• http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/ 

  • This website promotes a greater understanding and respect for animals, plants, water, soil, air and energy systems. It also helps children comprehend the positive and negative environmental effects of our actions.

Video to Build Schema:

• https://mocomi.com/sustainability/ 

ELA Teaching Suggestions:

Key vocabulary that may have to be taught for students to better understand the text:

• Sustainable: the idea that humans must interact with the environment in a way that ensures there will be enough resources left for future generations

• Frugal: careful in spending or using resources.

• Positive reinforcement: when someone is treated differently or unfairly based on an aspect of their identity

• Green living: a way of living by making choices that conserve and preserve the Earth's natural resources and habitat; this involves involves reducing the energy we use, trying to recycle where possible, reducing waste, and eating organic food

• Energy: the power to make something do work

• Poverty: not having enough money to meet basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter

Reading strategy suggestions to increase literal and/or inferential comprehension:

• Before Reading

  • Students will pick a source from loc.gov about sustainability and summarize the information provided in the source. 

• During Reading

  • Write an account of what you would have done had you been one of the characters in one of the events that occur in the book.

• After Reading

  • Write the plot of the story as if it were a story on the evening news. 

Writing activity that requires students to demonstrate inferential comprehension:

• Students will write a open-ended response about what they learned from the story.